How to Make Sure Your HOA Homeowners are Heard

Although board members in an HOA are responsible for making important decisions in the association, it should be noted that decisions affect every homeowner. Thus, it’s important to be sure all homeowners are still given a voice and an opportunity to be heard in the community.

Here are the top tips for making sure your HOA homeowners are heard:

#1 Communicate News and Updates

Figure out the methods of communication your homeowners most prefer, and use them to communicate regularly. If your homeowners are generally older, you might want to stick with mail or email; but if they include the younger crowd, it might be a good idea to use social media accounts and an HOA website for most updates.

#2 Give Homeowners a Place to Speak Up

As much as it’s great to keep homeowners up-to-date, you still won’t be hearing what they have to say by just sending updates. So make sure the communication is a two-way street. Encourage owners to submit their concerns and opinions on a website forum, through surveys, or communicate with your community on social media.

You can also make sure time is set aside for owners at each board meeting to speak their minds. Update them on when the meetings are scheduled to be held and the topics that will be discussed. Your HOA manager can help with arranging this.

#3 Only Communicate When Needed

Remember that it’s not necessary to get input from homeowners every time. Research reaching out to homeowners for times when you’re making a decision on something that really affects them, such as making changes to amenities or proposing big projects that could change their monthly fees.

As an HOA board member, part of your responsibility is to make decisions that are best for the community. So when it’s important, reach out to homeowners so they have a chance to voice their concerns and opinions as well. Figure out which means of communication is best for your community and utilize it to the best of your ability.